Dead
by grimmkittylove
Summary: AU. 'Dead last is a title I shed long ago, rookie of the year,' Naruto said tiredly. 'I’m not the same. You can’t really have expected that I wouldn’t change, Sasuke. It’s been thirteen years.'


_**Dead**_

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**Disclaimer: **If I owned Naruto, then I most likely would not be writing fanfiction, because I wouldn't have to. Duh.

**AN**: Written in a spasm of angst. Hmm. I seem to be having those quite often lately, especially when it comes to Naruto. Though I absolutely do not ship SasuNaru, there is a hint of one-sided feelings from a certain blondie in here. If you like, you can take it that way. Enjoy.

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It had been thirteen years. Thirteen years of guilt and grief, anger and agony, darkness and despair, of relentless soul-searching and heartbreak. Thirteen years since Naruto Uzumaki had witnessed the death of Sakura Haruno at the hand of Sasuke Uchiha, and thirteen years since he'd realized that the boy he'd known and, yes, _loved_ was dead.

The way the missing-nin had ruthlessly crushed his former teammate as she begged him to return and then carelessly cast her body aside like a broken toy still haunted the newly christened Hokage in his sleep. He could still hear the last words Sasuke had spoken to him, as clearly as the day they were uttered.

With his birthright showing through his eyes against a completely impassive face, he'd spoken calmly, as if he hadn't just annihilated his former ally in cold blood. "Maybe now you can believe that I'm not coming back." While Naruto had stood there in shock, Sasuke had proceeded to melt into the fray, masking his chakra signature to ensure his smooth departure.

Now, as they faced each other once more, the two men had nothing to say. Sasuke had aged gracefully, barely looking his twenty-nine bloodstained years. Naruto was the same, still shorter than his rival (though not by much anymore), but his eyes were far too old and tired for his youthful face.

"Do you really think you can kill me?" his opponent taunted, in a voice that once would have sent the other flying into a rage. "You always were an over-emotional fool."

"Don't count on that," the blonde replied tonelessly. "You aren't the Sasuke I cared for, not any more."

"And you're not the Naruto I came to kill," the black-haired man countered. "I'm here for Naruto Uzumaki, dead last. Not the goddamn Sixth Hokage."

"Dead last is a title I shed long ago, rookie of the year," Naruto said tiredly. "I'm not the same. You can't really have expected that I wouldn't change, Sasuke. It's been thirteen years."

"Has it really?" the Sharingan user mused. "It doesn't matter, I suppose. Perhaps I'm simply disappointed. I expected more conviction from you. Surely you haven't changed so much as to roll over dead?"

"Not in the least," came the heated response, and their eyes met, red on blue. Sasuke gave a smirk as the fire shadow rushed him.

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He'd never wanted it to end this way. He was supposed to bring Sasuke back to Konoha, marry Hinata a couple years later, and be best man at the Uchiha's wedding to Sakura. He was supposed to be the young, strong leader of his village, guiding them with a passion and exuberance never before seen in a Kage until he died, going out in a blaze of glory.

This was a dream that could no longer come true.

He'd buried Sasuke next to his brother, in an otherwise untouched area of the forest of Fire country. The first tears he'd loosed in years streamed down as he carved the kanji of Sasuke's name into the stone and covered it with grass, just as they'd done with Itachi's.

"Damn you, Sasuke."

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From then on, the same day every year, a small bouquet of flowers would mysteriously appear on an unremarkable patch of grass just inside the northern Konoha forest, right on schedule, until thirteen years later, when the Rokudaime Hokage was killed, fighting the remnants of the Sound Village. True to his request, he was buried in a small patch of land marked out by a thin red wire. The marker was simple, reading only, "Naruto Uzumaki, Dead Last."

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_Hope you enjoyed it. Reviews are my caffeine. -hint-_

_Lotsa Luffin,_

_-__**Evie**_


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